Bruce Garrett returns and puts on MVP performance to lead Pleasant Grove to second title

Battered and bruised, Texarkana Pleasant Grove running back Bruce Garrett had enough left in his tank to carry the Hawks to their second state title in three years.

After missing much of Pleasant Grove’s semifinal win last week, Garrett rushed for 254 yards and three touchdowns to lead Pleasant Grove past Wimberley 35-21 in the 4A Division II state championship game Friday.

“You saw Bruce do it this week,” Pleasant Grove coach Josh Gibson said. “When people game plan, our guys go full tilt and they’re okay with playing team ball. That’s why I think we do so well because my buddy is going to go off over here, but ultimately, we’re going off together. People who watch us every week understand that.”

With running back/defensive back Nick Martin sidelined, Pleasant Grove (15-1) leaned heavily on Garrett to carry the load with support from K.J. Hicks and Logan Johnson. The trio combined for 391 yards on 53 carries.

Their performance helped the Hawks erase the memory of last year’s championship game loss to Cuero.

“After last year’s game, we had a group chat named unfinished business,” quarterback Ben Harmon, who threw a key third-quarter touchdown pass to Antonio Watkins, said. “This year we did.”

The trio’s success kept Wimberley’s high-scoring offense on the sidelines and the Hawks’ defense fresh. After the Texans (12-4) scored a pair of first-quarter touchdowns and gained 94 yards, Pleasant Grove allowed just 158 yards the rest of the way, 75 of which came on a final drive after the outcome had been decided.

Under pressure from Marcus Burris (2 sacks), Wimberley’s Cooper McCollum completed just 13-of-30 passes for a playoff low 215 yards, the first time since September that he completed less than 50 percent of his passes in a game.

McCollum completed just four of 12 passes in the second and third quarters as Pleasant Grove took control after a frenetic start.

Hicks returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a score to set the tone for a see-saw quarter. Wimberley’s defense produced the game’s first break by stuffing Pleasant Grove quarterback Ben Harmon on fourth down at his own 23-yard line. Four plays later, McCollum found Colby Boyle for a 14-yard score to tie the game.

After Matthews broke free for a 54-yard touchdown to put Pleasant Grove back in front 14-7, McCollum engineered a 78-yard drive that included a 41-yard pass to Josh Limely, setting up Moses Wray’s 24-yard run to tie the game.

- Jay Plotkin

VIDEO RECAP

BOX SCORE

Pleasant Grove 14        7          7          7 - 35

Wimberley        14        0          0          7 - 21

Scoring

1st quarter

PG-KJ Hicks 88 kickoff return (Anthony Mejia kick)

Wim-Colby Boyle 14 pass from Cooper McCollum (Edgar Jimenez kick)

PG-Bruce Garrett 54 run (Mejia kick)

Wim-Moses Wray 24 run (Jimenez kick)

2nd quarter

PG-Garrett 11 run (Mejia kick)

3rd quarter

PG-Antonio Watkins 29 pass from Ben Harmon (Mejia kick)

4th quarter

PG-Garrett 31 run (Mejia kick)

Wim-Kolby Goforth 25 pass from McCollum (Jimenez kick)

Team Stats        PG        Wim

First Downs       21        12

Rushes-Yards    60-397  21-37

Passing yards    40        215

Passing 2-6-1    13-30-0

Fum-Lost          2-1       0-0

Pen-Yards         9-79     5-30

Punts-Avg         1-54.0  6-40.8

Individual Leaders

Pleasant Grove

Rushing: Bruce Garrett 25-254, 3 TDs; KJ Hicks 19-88; Logan Johnson 9-49; Ben Harmon 4-12

Passing: Ben Harmon 2-6-1-40, TD

Receiving: Antonio Watkins 1-29, TD; Sergio Rodriguez 1-11

Wimberley

Rushing: Moses Wray 8-31, TD; Cooper McCollum 12-11

Passing: McCollum 13-30-0-215, 2 TDs

Receiving: Christian Marshall 4-77; Josh Limely 4-61; Kolby Goforth 2-58, TD; Colby Boyle 1-14, TD